Harpreet Badohal is carrying the NDP colours in Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna

Over the past few weeks, Castanet News has featured candidates seeking your vote in each of the two Central Okanagan ridings leading up to the April 28 federal election.

Today, we focus on Harpreet Badohal who is running in Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna for the NDP.

Harpreet Badohal feels encouraged as he carries the NDP banner in the newly named Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna riding, despite falling poll numbers nationwide.

Badohal, who also ran provincially in October, believes people will do more research as we get closer to voting day and discover who is working for them and who is working for the big corporations.

The issues

“There is a new dimension that has been added with President Trump in power. That is coming up a lot when I am knocking on the door and speaking with people.

“But still I would say the basic issues remain the same, concerns about affordability and other things with the economy. One of the things that comes up is the maintenance of services.

“What people are saying is if there are fluctuations in the economy then the essential services should be maintained such as health care.

“If there are loans provided free of cost to students, those should be maintained. The economy should not become a reason to cut essential services to people.”

Housing affordability

“Canadian homes should be available for Canadians. We have recently proposed that there should be a complete ban on foreign ownership of Canadian homes because we are dealing with a crisis here. Prices are really high and there is not enough supply, although we are working hard.

“I know being part of the provincial team how much of the funding from the provincial level and also with federal cooperation was coming for development of housing.

“Let’s stabilize that first by saying, sorry, there is going to be no foreign ownership of Canadian homes. After that, the focus is for continuing to develop different levels of not-for-profit housing. That’s housing that helps younger people to become independent, get away from their parent’s basement and get them a step forward.”

Overall affordability

“We had only 24 MPs in the parliament and we have been able to achieve so much. We achieved a dental care program and we pushed on PharmaCare in which there recently was an announcement by our leader that whatever prescription a doctor writes that should be provided, so money people are currently paying for those prescriptions can be used for other things like food.

“Similarly, there was a national child care policy and also a meal program for students. Those are the services about which we have been fighting with our 24 MPs, and we want to do more. If we get more MPs in parliament, just imagine how much more beneficial it would be for everyday Canadians, for seniors, for young people.”

On NDP support

"Polls are a snapshot in time. They are based on information that is available to residents every day. I have seen during my door knocking that people research a lot."

“They are trying to find the policies of the different political parties and what is going to help them if things become tough.

“We in the NDP are not in a horse race to become number 1, number two or number three. We have a focus on everyday, regular people and that’s where we have been making our policies and that is how we will make our policies.

“It’s our responsibility to make it clear what our direction is, what type of policies we are proposing and that’s what we are doing.”